The problems of acidic and toxic emissions, including sulfur oxides, HCl and mercury, have challenged combustion plant operators and regulators since there became an awareness of the harmful effects of acid rain. Sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are formed during the combustion of sulfur-containing carbonaceous fuels and their remediation has been subjects of intensive engineering and development over the years. Advances made have provided significant improvements in air quality. The technologies for addressing sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, however, don't always fully treat HCl emissions or control the problems HCl can pose with regard to corrosion, scrubber operation or waste water treatment.
HCl can cause a number of problems for wet scrubbers, and applicants have addressed these problems in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/190,900, filed Feb. 26, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The present invention deals with the control of HCl more generally and is not limited to the problems of wet scrubbers.
There is a present need for technology that can improve on the reduction of HCl in a highly effective and economical manner.